Iran's drones

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What technologies does the US have to shoot down drones. Directed energy? Microwaves?

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The United States military employs a range of counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) technologies to shoot down or neutralize drones, including kinetic options (like missiles, guns, or nets), electronic warfare/jamming, and directed energy weapons (DEWs).Directed energy systems are increasingly prominent for countering drones—especially low-cost or swarm threats—because they offer "speed-of-light" engagement, low cost per shot (often pennies to dollars), deep magazines (limited mainly by power supply), and minimal collateral damage compared to explosives.High-Energy Lasers (HEL)These systems use focused beams of light to heat and destroy drone components (e.g., melting structures, damaging electronics, or igniting fuel). They typically require line-of-sight and precise tracking but excel at single or sequential targets.US Army: Systems like the 50 kW-class laser on Stryker vehicles (e.g., in M-SHORAD or Enduring High Energy Laser prototypes) defeat small drones, loitering munitions, and related threats. Live-fire demos have shown success against Group 1-3 UAS.
US Navy: HELIOS (60 kW+) on ships like destroyers has downed drones in tests; higher-power (300+ kW) testbeds exist for countering UAS and other aerial threats.
Other examples: Palletized or vehicle-mounted systems from companies like BlueHalo (LOCUST laser) and Raytheon have demonstrated drone kills in exercises.

Lasers are maturing rapidly, with the Army pursuing production-scale enduring HEL programs.High-Power Microwaves (HPM)These emit bursts of electromagnetic energy to disrupt or fry drone electronics (e.g., circuits, sensors, autopilots), causing them to crash or lose control. HPM excels against swarms due to wide-area effects—one pulse can disable dozens simultaneously—unlike pinpoint lasers.Epirus Leonidas (and variants like IFPC-HPM, Leonidas AR, ExDECS): A leading system using solid-state gallium nitride tech. The Army has fielded multiple units (e.g., four delivered by 2024, more in 2025+), with tests disabling 49 drones in seconds. Marines received Expeditionary versions for swarm defense; it's mobile (trailer- or vehicle-mounted) and software-defined for updates.
Raytheon Phaser: Focuses wide energy beams to drop single drones or swarms by destroying electronics; tested in Air Force exercises.
US Air Force THOR (Tactical High-power Operational Responder): Containerized for base defense; demos have downed swarms via wide-beam microwave pulses.
Other HPM efforts: Navy testing prototypes at sea (e.g., METEOR project for 2026+ ship integration).

The military views counter-drone as a "killer app" for DEWs, accelerating deployment across services to counter mass attacks without depleting expensive missiles. These systems are transitioning from prototypes to operational use, with ongoing tests and scaling (e.g., higher power classes).Other non-DEW countermeasures include RF jamming, radar-guided interceptors (e.g., Coyote), nets, or guns, often layered for comprehensive defense. DEWs shine against cheap, numerous drones where traditional kinetics become uneconomical

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Are there any estimates on how many they even have?

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